Alcohol: Young People

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many underage young people were  (a) tried at magistrates courts and  (b) convicted of buying alcohol illegally in each of the last five years.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 22 February 2008
	The number of youths tried at magistrates courts and convicted for offences related to buying alcohol illegally in each of the last five years in England and Wales can be viewed in the table.
	In addition the police can issue a £50 fixed penalty for the offence of "Buying or attempting to buy alcohol by a person under 18" under section 149(1) of the Licensing Act 2003 (c.17).The number of PNDs issued to youths aged 16 to 17 years were 0 in 2004, 17 in 2005 and 62 in 2006.
	
		
			  The number of persons who were proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for offences relating to purchase of alcohol by a person aged under 18 years in England and Wales, 2002 to 2006( 1,2,3) 
			   Proceeded against  Found guilty 
			 2002 13 9 
			 2003 13 10 
			 2004 10 8 
			 2005 14 9 
			 2006 8 6 
			 (1) Data is on the principal offence basis. (2) Data includes the following statutes and corresponding offence descriptions : Licensing (Occasional Permissions) Act 1983 Schedule (Sec 3) para 4(2). Licensing Act 1964 Sec 169(2). Person under 18 buying or attempting to buy or consuming intoxicating liquor. Person under 18 buying or consuming intoxicating liquor in Licensed premises. Licensing Act 2003 S. 149(l)(7a) Purchase of alcohol by an individual under 18. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts, other agencies, and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Court proceedings data held by CJEA—Office for Criminal Justice Reform—Ministry of Justice

Higher Education: Admissions

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills 
	(1)  what  (a) representations he has received from and  (b) discussions he has had with university admissions tutors on the account taken of A-level qualifications in their admission assessments; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what research his Department  (a) has commissioned,  (b) plans to commission and  (c) has evaluated on the role of A-levels in university admission assessments; when his Department last undertook a review of the role of A-levels in admission assessments that took into account (i) UK and (ii) international research; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: I meet many leaders in higher education to discuss issues of importance to them, including the reforms to our national qualifications system and admissions. Higher education institutions are solely responsible for their own admissions and it is for them to decide the entry requirements to individual courses, including prior qualifications.
	The Department does not assess the value of the wide range of entry qualifications that institutions may use to select from applicants. But the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority maintain and develop the national curriculum and associated assessments, tests and examinations, and the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service's tariff is a points system used to report achievement for entry to higher education in a numerical format. It establishes agreed comparability between different types of qualifications and provides comparisons between applicants with different types and volumes of achievement.
	A-levels already provide a high quality, well recognised route into HE courses for large numbers of students and the changes that are being made from September will reinforce this. New A-levels which are being taught from September this year have incorporated further stretch and challenge and the new Extended Project has been widely welcomed by admissions tutors as likely to allow applicants to demonstrate the independent study skills that they will need for HE. These will be complemented by the new diplomas and over 100 higher education institutions have already confirmed that they will include these new qualifications as part of their admissions processes. A recent report by the 1994 Group of universities shows widespread welcome for changes being made to A-levels to ensure they provide the right level of stretch and challenge for those going on to higher education. The same report was also positive about the use universities would make of the new diplomas in admissions.

Access to Work Programme

Terry Rooney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people received assistance from the Access to Work scheme in each of the last five years; and what proportion of those people had been diagnosed with a mental illness.

Anne McGuire: holding answer 16 June 2008
	The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  People who received assistance from Access to Work 
			   Received assistance  Mental health condition (Percentage) 
			 2003-04 24,000 <1 
			 2004-05 26,000 <1 
			 2005-06 25,000 <1 
			 2006-07 24,000 1 
			 2007-08 (provisional) 28,000 1 
			  Notes: 1. All numbers are rounded to the nearest thousand; all percentages are rounded to the nearest percentage point. 2. A new, more relevant definition of participation has been established for reporting from 2007-08 onwards; data is not yet available to give a final figure for the year 2007-08. This figure is not directly comparable with figures for previous years. 3. The mental health category is based on the condition recorded on the Access to Work computer system. No records are kept on whether participants have been diagnosed with the condition. Only the primary condition of a participant is recorded, and as such, these figures are likely to underestimate the proportion of those with a mental health condition. These percentages exclude dyslexia. 4. Many people who receive assistance from Access to Work in a particular year continue to benefit from this support in further years.  Source: The Access to Work Evaluation Database.

Cars: Research

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 22 April 2008,  Official Report, column 1894W, to the right hon. Member for East Yorkshire (Mr. Knight) on cars: research, what studies in this area conducted elsewhere in the EU her Department has evaluated.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department is aware of EU studies on eco-driving techniques. However, these relate to the most efficient way of driving in different traffic conditions rather than to the effects of constant speed driving. We are not aware of any specific EU studies which have been undertaken on the most economical constant driving speed.
	My response of 22 April indicated that we had taken account of the results of EU research in deriving emissions factors. The principal study considered was the EU ARTEMIS programme. However data from COST 319 (MEET), COPERT 4, PARTICULATES and OSCAR programmes was also considered in deriving emissions factors.
	A summary of the ARTEMIS programme is available at http://www.trl.co.uk/ARTEMIS/. Publication of the final report(1) is currently pending.
	Details of the COST 319 (MEET), COPERT and PARTICIPATES programmes are available at:
	http://www.inrets.fr/infos/cost319/index.html
	http://lat.eng.auth.gr/copert/
	http://lat.eng.auth.gr/particulates/
	Unfortunately the OSCAR programme website is no longer available.
	(1) Boulter, P.G. and McCrae, I.S. (editors) (2007). Assessment and reliability of transport emission models and inventory systems. Final Report of the 5FP EU ARTEMIS (Assessment and reliability of transport emission models and inventory systems) project. DG TREN Contract No. 1999-RD. 10429. Deliverable No. 15. TRL report UPR/IE/044/07, TRL Limited, Wokingham.

Railways: Finance

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been spent on  (a) railways and  (b) roads, including Highways Agency allocations for each year of the Department's existence; and what the projected figures are for 2008-09.

Tom Harris: holding answer 16 May 2008
	The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Outturn  Estimated outturn  Plans 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Rail 3390 4236 4252 3608 4632 4450 3700 
			 
			 Roads 4816 4912 5496 6159 6970 7400 7827 
			  Of which:
			 Highways Agency 4209 4283 4769 5405 6204 6460 6937 
			 Other roads spend 607 629 727 754 766 940 890 
		
	
	The Department also provides funding to local authorities via the Department's Integrated Transport Block and for Local Authority Major Schemes, as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Funding provided to LAs (including roads) 915 933 717 659 631 892 1043 
		
	
	Local authorities spend this funding both on road-related schemes public transport projects. It is not possible to disaggregate the data between the different types of project.

Alcoholic Drinks: Children

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport with reference to the answer of 1 October 2007,  Official Report, column 2352W, on alcoholic drinks: children, if he will break down the figures provided by region.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 18 February 2008
	I have been asked to reply.
	The figures for the number of cautions issued and the average fine issued for the offences of selling alcohol to persons under the age of 18, can be found in the following tables, which have been broken down by region.
	
		
			  Number of defendants issued with a caution for offences relating to the sale of alcohol to persons under the age of 18 years, by region, England and Wales, 1997 to 2006( 1, 2, 3) 
			  Region  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 North East 17 5 14 7 2 4 0 3 3 8 
			 North West 63 18 12 8 20 33 27 42 34 27 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 25 7 7 8 1 — 18 21 27 7 
			 East Midlands 7 8 15 16 5 2 3 7 2 0 
			 West Midlands 6 5 3 3 12 2 3 7 11 3 
			 East of England 23 6 7 0 1 11 9 5 0 2 
			 London 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 South East 19 9 6 3 4 0 0 3 2 3 
			 South West 4 14 0 0 0 4 2 11 12 8 
			 Wales 6 4 5 8 3 3 1 2 7 0 
			 England and Wales 171 76 69 53 48 59 63 101 98 58 
			 (1) Data is on the principal offence basis. (2) Includes the following statutes and corresponding offence descriptions : Licensing (Occasional Permissions) Act 1983 Schedule (Sec 3) para 4(1). Licensing Act 1964 Sec 169(1). Holder of occasional permission or his agent knowingly selling to, knowingly allow consumption by or allowing any person to sell, intoxicating liquor to a person under 18. Selling etc. intoxicating liquor to person under 18 for consumption on the premises. Licensing Act 2003 S.146 Sale of alcohol to person under 18. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source:  Court proceedings data held by CJEA - Office for Criminal Justice Reform - Ministry of Justice. 
		
	
	
		
			  Average fine levied for offences of selling alcohol to persons under 18, by region, all courts, England and Wales, 1997 to 2006, England and Wales 
			  Average fine amount (£) 
			  Offences  Region  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Selling etc. intoxicating liquor to persons under 18 for consumption on the premises; Sale of alcohol to person under 18 North East 321 237 164 110 118 250 259 221 204 443 
			  North West 129 233 254 256 244 201 209 220 212 252 
			  Yorkshire and Humberside 129 120 193 217 244 221 100 226 183 213 
			  East Midlands 150 - 225 375 300 404 247 259 262 283 
			  West Midlands 351 228 185 108 160 240 253 209 209 340 
			  East of England 172 168 186 370 125 400 306 169 302 332 
			  London 210 280 180 200 200 350 306 288 284 312 
			  South East 314 317 175 250 250 183 306 281 361 282 
			  South West 150 167 220 450 250 330 323 272 207 353 
			  Wales 186 181 229 267 100 250 211 192 243 335 
			  Total 227 212 194 206 208 249 253 237 246 305 
			  Note: These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.  Source:  OMS, Analytical Services

Defence: Inflation

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the rate of defence inflation was in each of the last five years; and what the forecast figures for the rate of defence inflation are in each of the next five years.

Bob Ainsworth: The MOD does not produce estimates of Defence inflation. Work is currently under way to explore whether it might be possible to develop a robust and reliable index of inflationary pressures in Defence.

Council Tax: Valuation

Bob Neill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 12 May 2008,  Official Report, column 1425W, on council tax: valuation; what data sources are used to value newly built homes for council tax purposes.

Jane Kennedy: I refer the hon. to the answer given by the then Minister for Local Government (Mr. Woolas) to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) on 28 March 2007,  Official Report, columns 1596-97W.

Energy Supply

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent discussions he has had with  (a) power generation companies,  (b) gas distribution companies and  (c) Energy Watch on the cost of energy supplies to domestic consumers.

Malcolm Wicks: My right hon. friend the Secretary of State has regular meetings with companies in the energy sector and interest groups where domestic energy prices are discussed.

Post Offices: Closures

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what annual cash savings the Post Office expects branches from the closure of post office branches at  (a) 42 Vicarage Road, Maidenhead,  (b) 55 High Street, Wargrave, near Reading and  (c) 49 Wootton Way, Maidenhead.

Patrick McFadden: This is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. (POL). I have therefore asked Alan Cook, Managing Director of POL, to reply direct to the hon. Member.
	Copies of the letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Post Offices: Closures

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what annual cash savings the Post Office expects from the closure of the post office branch at Knowl Hill Stores, Knowl Hill, near Reading.

Patrick McFadden: This is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. (POL). I have therefore asked Alan Cook, managing director of POL, to reply direct to the hon. Member.
	Copies of the letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Post Offices: Closures

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what annual cash savings the Post Office expects from the closure of the post office branch at 128-130 Cookham Road, Maidenhead.

Patrick McFadden: This is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. (POL). I have therefore asked Alan Cook, Managing Director of POL, to reply direct to the hon. Member.
	Copies of the letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Small Businesses: Regulation

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform from which regulatory requirements he proposes to exempt those companies with 20 or fewer employees; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: When we published the Enterprise Strategy next to the Budget in March 2008, we announced that the Government will introduce a new approach to help ensure that regulation affecting small firms achieves the outcomes aimed for while minimising unnecessary impacts. This flexible approach includes considering whether small firms can be exempt from requirements without effecting essential protections or if there is scope for simplified enforcement. This will be applied to new regulation currently under development.
	Work already under way to change existing requirements was published in the Enterprise Strategy, a copy of which was placed in the libraries of the House.

Olympic Games

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials from his Department plan to attend the Beijing Olympic Games; to what purpose in each case; and what estimate he has made of the cost.

Shaun Woodward: None. I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister for the Olympics (Tessa Jowell) on 19 May 2008,  Official Report, column 5W.

Police Service of Northern Ireland: Recruitment

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people were recruited to the Police Service of Northern Ireland in each of the last five years, broken down by  (a) constituency and  (b) district council area.

Paul Goggins: The Chief Constable has provided the following information:
	
		
			  (a) Response by  c onstituency 
			   2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			   C5  C6  C7  C8  C9  CIO  C11  C12  CIS  Total 
			 Belfast East 18 18 12 12 19 9 14 10 4 116 
			 Belfast North 6 7 5 3 5 8 4 9 5 52 
			 Belfast South 21 19 21 7 13 25 4 12 2 124 
			 Belfast West 4 4 5 4 3 3 0 4 1 28 
			 East Antrim 19 21 30 10 12 12 9 9 6 128 
			 East Londonderry 30 26 11 10 13 14 7 7 8 126 
			 Fermanagh and South Tyrone 11 6 5 6 6 7 2 5 3 51 
			 Foyle 16 11 9 12 6 6 6 9 8 83 
			 Lagan Valley 32 16 26 18 27 16 15 22 8 180 
			 Mid Ulster 2 2 4 4 1 3 3 1 0 20 
			 Newry and Armagh 8 6 6 4 3 1 5 5 2 40 
			 North Antrim 14 15 7 4 8 12 5 7 6 78 
			 North Down 26 34 22 17 22 21 21 16 6 185 
			 South Antrim 26 22 26 11 18 19 16 19 13 170 
			 South Down 6 14 12 8 8 9 9 11 4 81 
			 Strangford 24 29 27 15 18 15 12 20 8 168 
			 Upper Bann 22 19 14 9 15 17 11 10 11 128 
			 West Tyrone 6 5 8 5 4 2 0 3 2 35 
			 Total 291 274 250 159 201 199 143 179 97 1793 
		
	
	
		
			  (b) Response by  district council 
			   2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			   C5  C6  C7  C8  C9  CIO  C11  C12  C13  Total 
			 Antrim 14 12 10 3 11 5 6 8 7 76 
			 Ards 14 20 23 12 15 15 8 16 6 129 
			 Armagh 6 6 4 4 1 1 3 3 0 28 
			 Ballymena 10 13 6 2 4 8 3 5 5 56 
			 Ballymoney 3 2 1 2 2 2 2 1 1 16 
			 Banbridge 15 12 12 6 16 7 10 11 4 93 
			 Belfast 38 36 34 19 28 34 18 27 11 245 
			 Carrickfergus 11 8 17 3 5 5 5 5 3 62 
			 Castlereagh 21 18 12 6 16 11 11 9 2 106 
			 Coleraine 19 15 7 8 8 6 3 7 6 79 
			 Cookstown 0 1 1 3 0 1 1 0 0 7 
			 Craigavon 11 11 5 8 7 11 5 4 7 69 
			 Derry 16 11 9 12 6 6 6 9 8 83 
			 Down 6 12 11 10 7 12 8 10 3 79 
			 Dungannon 2 3 0 2 2 4 1 1 1 16 
			 Fermanagh 10 3 5 5 4 3 1 4 2 37 
			 Lame 5 9 5 6 5 4 4 3 2 43 
			 Limavady 11 11 4 2 5 8 4 0 2 47 
			 Lisburn 28 14 24 14 20 16 12 20 8 156 
			 Magherafelt 1 1 3 0 1 2 2 1 0 11 
			 Moyle 1 0 0 0 2 2 0 1 0 6 
			 Newry and Mourne 3 4 4 1 2 0 2 3 4 23 
			 Newtownabbey 16 15 24 10 9 18 10 13 7 122 
			 North Down 24 32 21 16 21 16 18 15 6 169 
			 Omagh 5 3 7 4 4 1 0 3 2 29 
			 Strabane 1 2 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 6 
			 Total 291 274 250 159 201 199 143 179 97 1793 
		
	
	—continued
	This analysis is based or postcode information provided at time of application (correspondence address). Not all applicants provide a valid postcode.
	Appointments are still ongoing from campaigns 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13.

Legal Aid: Voluntary Organisations

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment his Department has made of the effects of fixed fees for legal aid on the funding of voluntary sector organisations providing legal advice.

Maria Eagle: Fixed fee schemes were calculated on the basis of historic spend by both solicitor firms and not for profit (NfP) agencies and no money has been removed from the overall civil legal aid budget.
	The Legal Services Commission (LSC) undertook a full regulatory impact assessment (RIA) of the effect of the introduction of fixed fees. The final RIA is available on their website
	https://consult.legalservices.gov.uk/inovem/consult.ti/sustainable.future/consultationHome.
	Transitional arrangements have been introduced to assist NfP providers adjust to recent reforms. The LSC regularly monitors the operation of these arrangements. The great majority of NfP providers are adapting well to fixed fees.
	The LSC will be reviewing the operation of the first stage of graduated and fixed fees (implemented in October 2007 and January 2008) to see if any changes should be made to those existing schemes for April 2010. It intends to publish the outcome of that review in January 2009, with a further six-week consultation on any changes to be made to the stage 1 fees as a result. Any such changes would take effect in the new contracts from 1 April 2010.

Office of the Public Guardian: Powers of Attorney

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much the Office of the Public Guardian spent on training staff in the processing of registrations of lasting powers of attorney in the last 12 months for which figures are available; and what training his Department provides for this purpose.

Bridget Prentice: The Mental Capacity Act 2005 came fully into force in October 2007. Prior to that point training provision was the responsibility of the Public Guardianship Office—the Office of the Public Guardian's predecessor. This included training for the new processes and procedures relating to Lasting Powers of Attorney that the Act introduced.
	Since October, the OPG has been responsible for meeting all ongoing training needs. Over the last 12 months, specific training on the registration of LPAs has been provided to staff in the Applications and Processing area, which deals with the registration of LPAs, and to staff in the Contact Centre, which advises clients on LPA process and the progress of individual applications.
	Additionally, all staff at the OPG attended awareness seminars on the new Act and LPAs. Initial training is gained through such seminars and similar themed workshops. Practical assistance has then been provided via desk bound training and a buddy scheme whereby experienced staff "shadow" new staff members and undertake additional floor-walking. This helps to ensure that staff are familiar with new systems and processes from which they may begin to put theory into practice.
	Because of the range of training offered and in particular the significant amounts of flexibly provided desk training, it has not been possible to provide exact figures on the total cost. However, based on average staff costs and reasonable assumptions of the average amount of time per staff member spent on training, we estimate a sum of £73,680 has been spent on staff training in relation to LPAs to date.
	Training is continuing to be provided as the OPG develops its processes and court decisions become known.

Prisoners: Employment

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps the Government has taken to assist prisoners to gain employment when released.

David Hanson: The Ministry of Justice is working in partnership with the Departments for Innovation, Universities and Skills, and Work and Pensions to implement the "Reducing Re-offending through Skills and Employment: Next Steps" action plan, in which the three priorities are to:
	engage employers through the Reducing Re-offending Corporate Alliance in improving the skills and employment outcomes of offenders;
	build on the new Offender Learning and Skills Service through the campus model which will give offenders more flexible access to skills and employment support with effective use of ICT; and
	use the commissioning role of the offender manager to build a new emphasis on skills and jobs in prisons and probation areas.
	Work to implement the plan includes ensuring that offenders are given advice on job searching from Jobcentre Plus while still in custody and that this support continues after release. Many offenders are able to benefit from employment programmes such as the new deal and Progress2Work.
	In addition, on 31 January 2008,  Official Report, column 37WS, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and Lord Chancellor (Mr. Straw) announced the publication of the Prison Policy Update briefing paper which set out the Government's plans to increase the range of constructive work available to prisoners inside prisons, which will in turn increase their chances of getting a job on the outside. This work is well under way.
	On 12 June he also announced four new workshops at Stocken prison. Bricklaying, painting and decorating, and learning to refurbish and repair hire equipment for builders' merchant Travis Perkins are among the skills being taught in the workshops.
	On 10 June I launched a major new vocational training scheme at Wandsworth prison with Cisco Systems, Bovis Lend Lease and Panduit. The scheme will train prisoners in installing voice and data cabling within business and residential developments and, where possible, employing them within the Bovis social enterprise Be Onsite.

Young Offenders: Crimes of Violence

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many young offenders aged 10 to 17 years were found guilty and sentenced for  (a) murder,  (b) rape and  (c) violence against the person in each year since 1997, broken down by criminal justice area.

David Hanson: The requested information is contained in the following table.
	The number of persons sentenced were found guilty (either at court or by their own admission) prior to the point of sentencing.
	Data for the offence of violence against the person will include the number of persons sentenced for murder.
	Statistics for 2007 will be published in the autumn.
	The Government are committed to tackling youth crime and particularly violent youth crime to reduce the impact it has on communities. The Government published their tackling violence action plan this year with a range of measures to address violent crime. The vast majority of youngsters are on the right track. In the five years to 2005, the frequency of juvenile reoffending fell by more than 17 per cent. The Offending Crime and Justice Survey shows that over the past three surveys overall youth offending has remained stable.
	The Government will publish a Youth Crime Action Plan in the summer setting out a cross-Government approach to tackling youth crime.
	
		
			  Number of juveniles sentenced( 1 ) for murder, rape and violence against the person( 2) , all courts, England and Wales 1997 to 2006, England and Wales 
			  Number of persons 
			  Criminal justice area and offence group  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			
			  Avon and Somerset   
			 Murder — — — — — — 2 — 1 — 
			 Rape — — — — 1 — 1 1 1 2 
			 Violence against the person 97 74 93 112 134 133 155 130 147 159 
			
			  Bedfordshire   
			 Murder — 1 3 — 2 — — — — — 
			 Rape — — — — 1 — — — — — 
			 Violence against the person 41 49 38 42 43 38 43 52 62 63 
			
			  Cambridgeshire   
			 Murder — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Rape 1 — 1 — — — — — 1 1 
			 Violence against the person 70 48 77 64 75 68 70 59 116 73 
			
			  Cheshire   
			 Murder — — — — — — 1 — 1 1 
			 Rape 2 1 — 1 — 1 — — 2 6 
			 Violence against the person 184 194 180 174 164 148 107 115 159 207 
			
			  Cleveland   
			 Murder — — — — 1 1 — — — — 
			 Rape 1 — — 1 — 1 2 1 1 3 
			 Violence against the person 71 54 60 70 64 77 79 74 84 123 
			
			  Cumbria   
			 Murder 2 — — 1 — — — — — — 
			 Rape — — — — — — 1 1 — — 
			 Violence against the person 75 89 90 81 79 64 91 93 100 111 
			
			  Derbyshire   
			 Murder 2 — — — — — — — — — 
			 Rape — — 3 2 — — — 3 2 2 
			 Violence against the person 91 109 113 88 116 119 119 124 191 134 
			
			  Devon and Cornwall   
			 Murder 1 — — — — 1 — — — — 
			 Rape 3 1 1 — 1 1 — 1 1 — 
			 Violence against the person 86 82 86 110 74 119 138 147 142 116 
			
			  Dorset   
			 Murder — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Rape 1   1 2 1 
			 Violence against the person 25 49 38 45 47 48 36 49 80 77 
			
			  Durham   
			 Murder 1 — 2 — — — — — — 1 
			 Rape — — — — 1 1 — 2 2 1 
			 Violence against the person 151 98 144 115 105 126 114 101 132 150 
			
			  Essex   
			 Murder 1 1 — — — — — — — — 
			 Rape 1 — — 1 1 1 — — 2 1 
			 Violence against the person 134 135 99 117 146 144 176 208 178 170 
			
			  Gloucestershire   
			 Murder — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Rape 1 — — 2 — 1 — — 1 — 
			 Violence against the person 40 46 37 48 46 42 43 54 71 66 
			
			  Greater Manchester   
			 Murder 1 1 3 — 4 4 — 1 4 1 
			 Rape 2 2 1 3 2 — 3 3 5 4 
			 Violence against the person 436 457 501 565 653 565 526 602 573 525 
			
			  Hampshire   
			 Murder 1 — — 1 — — — — 2 — 
			 Rape 3 1 2 2 1 — 2 1 3 4 
			 Violence against the person 179 224 201 233 209 271 269 274 265 249 
			
			  Hertfordshire   
			 Murder — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Rape — — — 1 — — — 1 — 2 
			 Violence against the person 69 70 62 95 87 110 107 116 148 111 
			
			  Humberside   
			 Murder 1 — — — — — 1 — — — 
			 Rape — — 1 1 — — — — 1 4 
			 Violence against the person 115 120 118 120 103 129 143 107 144 162 
			
			  Kent   
			 Murder — — 1 — 2 — — 1 — — 
			 Rape — — — 3 — — — 1 4 1 
			 Violence against the person 151 144 146 128 154 124 123 101 147 145 
			
			  Lancashire   
			 Murder — — 1 — — 1 — — — 1 
			 Rape 2 — 3 — — 2 1 1 1 3 
			 Violence against the person 219 220 177 218 212 235 225 206 278 314 
			
			  Leicestershire   
			 Murder — — — — — — — 1 — 1 
			 Rape — — 1 — — — — — 1 — 
			 Violence against the person 130 120 139 129 145 150 146 144 155 151 
			
			  Lincolnshire   
			 Murder — — — — 1 — — — — — 
			 Rape 1 — 1 — — 1 — — 2 1 
			 Violence against the person 35 69 44 45 51 44 60 57 66 44 
			
			  Merseyside   
			 Murder 1 1 3 3 3 — — — 1 — 
			 Rape 2 1 — 1 6 — — 2 3 4 
			 Violence against the person 222 233 221 234 272 251 260 299 262 297 
			
			  London   
			 Murder 6 1 4 8 6 7 1 5 6 7 
			 Rape 16 7 12 9 8 8 9 7 8 10 
			 Violence against the person 752 766 773 873 1,081 1,104 889 949 1,057 1,093 
			
			  Norfolk   
			 Rape — — 1 2 — — — — 2 1 
			 Violence against the person 60 57 62 49 62 45 67 44 58 69 
			
			  North Yorkshire   
			 Murder — — — — — — — — 1 — 
			 Rape — 2 1 1 — 2 1 — — 2 
			 Violence against the person 65 46 59 61 39 51 62 58 68 91 
			
			  Northamptonshire   
			 Murder — — 1 — 1 — — — — — 
			 Rape — — 1 1 1 — — 1 — — 
			 Violence against the person 46 77 85 62 39 43 33 34 40 35 
			
			  Northumbria   
			 Murder 2 — 1 2 — — — 1 — — 
			 Rape 7 3 2 1 3 2 2 2 3 3 
			 Violence against the person 287 358 305 311 333 332 274 296 308 235 
			
			  Nottinghamshire   
			 Murder — — — — — — — 1 2 1 
			 Rape — — 4 1 3 — 1 — 3 2 
			 Violence against the person 149 118 121 157 159 129 132 115 153 163 
			
			  South Yorkshire   
			 Murder — — 2 — — 1 1 1 3 1 
			 Rape 4 2 3 — — 1 — — 2 5 
			 Violence against the person 162 152 170 170 191 221 192 189 213 216 
			
			  Staffordshire   
			 Murder — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Rape — — 1 — — — 1 3 2 1 
			 Violence against the person 84 98 110 151 102 131 124 129 154 133 
			
			  Suffolk   
			 Murder — — — — 2 — — — — 1 
			 Rape 1 — — — — 1 — — 1 — 
			 Violence against the person 44 33 67 48 50 65 72 76 102 110 
			
			  Surrey   
			 Murder — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Rape — — — — — 1 — 1 2 1 
			 Violence against the person 31 40 28 49 51 37 49 69 57 72 
			
			  Sussex   
			 Murder — 1 — — — 1 — — — 1 
			 Rape — — 1 — 1 — 1 1 1 1 
			 Violence against the person 96 80 62 97 105 105 120 141 161 168 
			
			  Thames Valley   
			 Murder — — — 1 — — 2 — 1 — 
			 Rape 1 — — — 1 1 2 2 — 1 
			 Violence against the person 116 118 103 127 132 132 131 137 184 192 
			
			  Warwickshire   
			 Murder — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Rape 1 1 — — — — 1 — 1 2 
			 Violence against the person 49 48 40 29 42 33 28 51 47 63 
			
			  West Mercia   
			 Murder — — — — 1 — — — — — 
			 Rape 1 1 — — 2 — — 1 2 2 
			 Violence against the person 107 101 98 93 155 118 108 107 167 185 
			
			  West Midlands   
			 Murder 5 2 — 3 1 — 1 — 2 — 
			 Rape 5 5 4 4 3 — 4 3 8 4 
			 Violence against the person 449 463 489 559 634 606 534 540 416 517 
			
			  West Yorkshire   
			 Murder 2 1 3 — — 3 — 1 2 2 
			 Rape 1 5 8 1 2 1 3 3 11 3 
			 Violence against the person 285 293 309 258 240 252 245 351 288 237 
			
			  Wiltshire   
			 Murder — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Rape — — — — — 2 — — — 3 
			 Violence against the person 35 52 36 45 58 56 63 51 68 93 
			
			  Dyfed-Powys   
			 Murder — — — — 2 — — — — — 
			 Rape — — 1 1 — — — — — — 
			 Violence against the person 53 63 67 60 46 37 56 50 55 45 
			
			  Gwent   
			 Murder — — — — 1 — — — — — 
			 Rape — — 1 — — 1 — — 1 1 
			 Violence against the person 92 79 68 85 S2 76 88 93 89 93 
			
			  North Wales   
			 Murder — — — 1 — 1 — — — — 
			 Rape 1 1 — — 2 1 — 1 — — 
			 Violence against the person 68 73 64 92 91 86 92 99 100 113 
			
			  South Wales   
			 Murder — 1 — — — — — 1 — 1 
			 Rape 1 3 1 4 1 1 — 2 4 3 
			 Violence against the person 235 195 225 215 229 206 188 211 159 189 
			
			  England and Wales   
			 Murder 26 10 24 20 27 20 9 13 26 19 
			 Rape 58 36 55 43 42 31 35 46 86 85 
			 Violence against the person 5,886 5,994 6,005 6,424 6.910 6,870 6,577 6,902 7,444 7,559 
			 (1) The data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Data for violence against the person will include the number sentenced for murder.  Note: These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.  Source: OMS, Analytical Services

Community Development

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the  (a) terms of reference,  (b) membership,  (c) programme of work and  (d) opportunities for input from the public and others are for the review team on disadvantaged communities chaired by Stephen Houghton announced on 28 May 2008.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Tackling Worklessness Review will:
	Examine how local authorities and their partners are using the Working Neighbourhoods Fund to tackle worklessness within their worst performing neighbourhoods;
	Identify what more central Government departments can do to support local partners to deliver better employment and skills services for their residents and employers;
	Consider how the private sector, social enterprises and third sector groups, and the Regional Development Agencies can help local partners to improve employment in Working Neighbourhood Fund areas and through the new Local Performance Framework; and
	Report the group's findings to Stephen Timms and John Healey by October 2008, to be followed by the publication of the group's final report.
	Councillor Stephen Houghton will chair the review. He will be joined by representatives from social enterprise (Claire Dove) and the private sector (Steve Olive) as well as senior Government officials.
	As the first meeting scoping the group has yet to take place (scheduled for 25 June) information on the programme of work and opportunities for input from the public and others is not yet available.

Community Infrastructure Levy

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether regional development agencies will be charging authorities under the new community infrastructure levy.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the  Official Report, 1 February 2008, column 606, where the I stated, during the Commons Committee stage of the Planning Bill, that
	"we have no intention of empowering regional planning bodies, whether in their current form or as regional development agencies, as CIL charging authorities".

Repossession Orders: Essex

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes were repossessed in  (a) Essex and  (b) Castle Point in each of the last five years.

Iain Wright: Tables 1 and 2, respectively show the numbers of mortgage and landlord possession orders made in each of the Essex county courts since 2003.
	These figures do not indicate how many houses have been repossessed through the courts, since not all the orders will have resulted in the issue and execution of warrants of possession.
	No county court caters only for repossession actions relating to properties in the Castle Point constituency. The civil procedure rules state that all claims for the repossession of land must be commenced in the district in which the land is situated. As county courts' jurisdictions are not coterminous with the borough boundaries, any single court's repossession actions are likely to relate to homes in a number of different boroughs.
	
		
			  Table 1: Mortgage( 1)  possession orders( 2,) ( 3)  in the county courts( 4)  of Essex since 2003 
			   2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Basildon 478 612 910 1,048 1,057 
			 Chelmsford 175 226 355 381 383 
			 Colchester 300 385 542 695 778 
			 Harlow(5) 139 183 258 310 — 
			 Southend-on-Sea 348 416 620 657 606 
			 Essex(5) 1,440 1,822 2,685 3,091 — 
			 South East 8,201 10,050 15,220 17,693 17,824 
			 (1) Mortgage possession data includes all types of lenders whether local authority or private. (2) The court, following a judicial hearing, may grant an order for possession immediately. This entitles the claimant to apply for a warrant to have the defendant evicted. However, even where a warrant for possession is issued, the parties can still negotiate a compromise to prevent eviction. (3) Includes suspended orders and orders made. (4) Does not include the small number of possession actions entered in the High Court. (5) The rollout of the Possession Claim On-Line (PCOL) system in late 2006 has affected the availability of court and county level data on possession orders. It is only possible to provide court level figures for those courts with direct on-site PCOL access for 2007. Upward adjustments have been made for the missing data at HMCS regional level, hence the figures for the South East are provided. Source: Ministry of Defence 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Landlord( 1)  possession orders( 2, 3, 4 ) in the county courts( 5)  of Essex since 2003 
			   2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Basildon 1,004 1,051 810 853 769 
			 Chelmsford 347 337 266 313 324 
			 Colchester 706 623 677 656 647 
			 Harlow(6) 410 399 383 342 — 
			 Southend-on-Sea 487 439 473 490 475 
			 Essex(6) 2,954 2,849 2,609 2,654 — 
			 South East 20,336 19,834 19,157 18,093 18,973 
			 (1) Landlord possession data includes all types of landlords. (2) The court, following a judicial hearing, may grant an order for possession immediately. This entitles the claimant to apply for a warrant to have the defendant evicted. However, even where a warrant for possession is issued, the parties can still negotiate a compromise to prevent eviction. (3) Includes suspended orders and orders made. (4) Landlord possession orders made through standard and accelerated procedures. (5) Does not include the small number of possession actions entered in the High Court. (6) The rollout of the Possession Claim On-Line (PCOL) system in late 2006 has affected the availability of court and county level data on possession orders. It is only possible to provide court level figures for those courts with direct on-site PCOL access for 2007. Upward adjustments have been made for the missing data at HMCS regional level, hence the figures for the South East are provided.  Source: Ministry of Justice

Youth Justice Annual Statistics 2006-07

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when he expects the Youth Justice Board to publish the Youth Justice Annual Statistics for 2006-07.

Beverley Hughes: The 2006-07 Youth Justice Board Workload Data (previously called Annual Statistics) was published on 15 May 2008. An electronic version is available at:
	http://www.yjb.gov.uk/publications/Resources/Downloads/Youth%20Justice%20Annual%20Workload%20Data%20200607.pdf

NHS: Reorganisation

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consultation took place prior to the publication of the Next Stage Review Interim report; whom was consulted; and how they were selected.

Ann Keen: Prior to the publication of the interim report, "Our NHS, Our Future: NHS Next Stage Review" copies of which are available in the Library, Lord Darzi: visited and spoke to 1,500 national health service staff in 17 NHS organisations across the country;
	on 18 September 2007, took part in a nationwide day of detailed discussions on the priorities for the NHS with 1,000 patients, public and health and social care staff in nine different towns and cities;
	met with representatives of 250 stakeholder groups representing the full diversity of our population and staff;
	read more than 1,400 letters and e-mails from people up and down the country; and
	brought together over 2,000 clinicians to form clinical working groups in every part of the country to focus on discussing how best to plan and provide care for patients.
	The interim report was based on these views, visits and discussions.
	Each deliberative event on 18 September was attended by a regionally representative sample of members of the public (demographic data was taken from census data), with specific quotas set on health status (including use of certain services in the past two years). This ensured that there was a broad mix of members of the public, many of whom had used services and were in a position to give views based on their own experience of health care provision. Participants were recruited off the street, to ensure a wide representation of the public. Members of NHS staff were nominated to attend by their strategic health authority.

Obesity

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of  (a) children and  (b) adults were (i) obese and (ii) overweight when measured by body mass index in (A) Hemel Hempstead constituency, (B) the Dacorum Borough Council area, (C) the East of England and (D) England at the latest date for which figures are available.

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is not available in the exact format requested.
	Information on the percentage of children and adults who are obese or overweight in Hemel Hempstead constituency is not available.
	Information on the percentage of children who are obese or overweight and the percentage of adults who are overweight, in Dacorum local authority, is not available.
	A model-based estimate of the prevalence of adults who are obese in Dacorum local authority was not found to be statistically different than the national estimate. This information is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Model-based estimates of obesity prevalence, 2003-05 
			   Percentage 
			  Dacorum local authority  
			 Estimated prevalence of obesity 23.2 
			 95 per cent. lower confidence interval 21.4 
			 95 per cent. upper confidence interval 25.1 
			   
			 England (1)  
			 Estimated prevalence of obesity 23.6 
			 95 per cent. lower confidence interval 23.0 
			 95 per cent. upper confidence interval 24.2 
			 (1) The national estimate is derived directly from the Health Surveys for England 2003-05 (with Confidence Intervals) and therefore is not a model-based estimate.  Source: Model-Based Estimates Of Healthy Lifestyles Behaviours, 2003-05. Neighbourhood Statistics, Office for National Statistics (ONS) 
		
	
	Information on the proportion of children that are obese or overweight aged 4-5 and 10-11 years in East of England is collected through the National Child Measurement Programme and can be found in table B, page 38, National Child Measurement Programme: 2006-07 school year, headline results which was published on February 21 2008. This publication has been placed in the Library.
	Information on the percentage of adults that are obese or overweight in East of England is collected through the Health Survey for England and can be found in table 5.3, page 99, Health Survey for England 2006: Volume 1 Cardiovascular disease and risk factors in adults, which was published on January 31 2008. This publication is available in the Library.
	Information on the proportion of children aged 4-5 and 10-11 years that are obese or overweight in England is also collected through the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) and can be found in table 1, page 3, National Child Measurement Programme: 2006-07 school year, headline results.
	Information on the percentage of adults that are obese or overweight in England is also collected through the Health Survey for England and can be found in table 5.2, page 98,
	Health Survey for England 2006: Volume 1 Cardiovascular disease and risk factors in adults.

Organs: Donors

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how his Department plans to measure the effectiveness of the Give and Let Live donor education programme;
	(2)  whether the Give and Let Live donor education programme is a pilot programme.

Ann Keen: The "Give and Let Live" teachers pack and website was developed in 2006-07, and piloted in some schools following consultation and evaluation. The pack was then offered to all secondary schools in September 2007. Further, evaluation of the pack is currently underway.

Africa EU Strategic Partnership

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what commitments he has made to supporting the Africa EU Strategic Partnership.

Gareth Thomas: A comprehensive action plan to implement the joint Africa-European Union strategy was agreed at the EU Africa summit in Lisbon in December 2007. This plan has eight key themes, each with a set of priority actions to be taken forward through EU-Africa Partnerships. The UK Government are working with other member states and the African Union to ensure that sound progress is made in all areas. Plans are also in hand to ensure that civil society, both in Africa and Europe is able to monitor progress and contribute ideas. Under arrangements agreed by member states, the UK Government are leading for the EU in co-ordinating the monitoring of progress against one of the key themes: the millennium development goals. An initial meeting of the European Commission and member states took place in Brussels on 28 May.

Africa: Borders

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps are being taken by his Department to facilitate trade across borders in southern Africa.

Gareth Thomas: DFID works in southern Africa to make it easier, quicker, and cheaper to trade across borders through its Regional Trade Facilitation programme (RTFP). This is helping to raise economic growth rates, create jobs and reduce poverty in southern Africa. The RTFP, together with the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) and the East African Community (EAC), is implementing the following specific measures:
	1. Opening three one stop border posts in the region, between: Zambia and Zimbabwe; Mozambique and South Africa; and Lesotho and South Africa. These will reduce transit times for exports and imports, and bring down transport costs which will make Southern African producers more competitive.
	2. Providing technical and financial assistance, to address transport and transit bottlenecks in the region, particularly focusing on improving infrastructure and reducing unnecessary red tape.
	3. Supporting COMESA, EAC and SADC to simplify and modernise customs procedures and legislation and to introduce a single administrative document for Customs.

Africa: Overseas Aid

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what UK aid programmes are aimed at promoting good governance in African countries.

Gillian Merron: The Department for International Development's 2006 White Paper 'Making Governance Work for the Poor' put governance considerations at the heart of all UK aid programmes—a copy can be found at
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/wp2006/default.asp.
	DFID works with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to produce Country Governance Analysis reports looking at the quality of governance in all major partner countries in Africa. These inform DFID programmes to improve governance, through building state capability, improving accountability, and encouraging responsiveness to citizens needs.
	DFID has carefully targeted governance improvement programmes in all our focal countries in Africa. In 2007 DFID produced a publication titled 'Governance, Development and Democratic Politics: DFID's work in building more effective states'. This publication provides much more detail on our approach to governance and gives specific examples of programmes promoting good governance in our partner countries and can be found at
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/files/governance.pdf

Africa: Overseas Aid

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which contractors received funding from his Department in the 2007-08 financial year in relation to projects in Africa.

Douglas Alexander: The following table contains the names of contractors who received funding from DFID during 2007-08 in relation to projects in Africa. This does not include payments made to contractors for low value contracts issued by individual departments and overseas offices under delegated authority. These details are not held centrally and could not be produced without incurring disproportionate costs.
	Adam Smith International Ltd
	Allison George
	Andrew Cordery
	Andrew Lovegrove
	Antonio Bojanic
	Atos Consulting Limited
	Barry Barnwell
	Bearpark Associates
	Bmb Mott Macdonald
	British Council
	Cambridge Education Consultants
	Cardiff And Vale Enterprise
	Care International Uk
	Centrex
	Charles Kendall And Partners Limited
	Chemonics
	Chris Gale
	Chris Rampe
	Christopher Adam
	Coffey International Development Ltd
	OSU Cooker
	Constella Futures
	Cowi Mozambique
	D P Russell
	DAI Europe Limited
	David Child
	David Smith
	Development In Practice
	ECI Africa Consulting (PTY) LTD
	Emerging Markets Group
	Ernst And Young Ghana
	Family Health International
	Footbridge Consulting
	FRR Ltd
	Garlic (UK) Ltd
	Gianni Brusati
	GRM International Ltd
	Harewelle International Limited
	Health Partners International
	Helm Corporation Ltd
	Henry Vagg
	HLSP Limited
	HTSPE Ltd
	I2i CONSULTANTS
	Imani Development International Ltd
	Intematical (PTY) Ltd
	Interact Worldwide
	Intermedia NCG
	International Organisation Development
	ITAD Ltd
	JAN Consulting Ltd
	John Olympio
	Keith Biddle
	Kolawole A Sofou\
	KPMG East Africa
	KPMG Mozambique
	Lisa Curtis Associates
	Liverpool Associates in Trop. Health
	LTS International Ltd
	Malaria Consortium
	Masdar (UK) Limited
	Mokoro Limited
	Moore Stephens LLP
	Mr G and Mrd E Horlacher
	Natural Resources Institute
	Nordic Consultant
	NPIA
	Overseas Development Institute
	Oxford Policy Management
	Peter Mills
	PKF
	PLW Development Solutions Ltd
	Population Services International
	Pricewaterhousecoopers
	Pricewaterhousecoopers Africa
	Public Administration International
	Pricewaterhousecoopers Portugal
	RW England
	REPIM
	Rosemary Bellow
	Saana Consulting Ltd
	Social Development Direct Ltd
	SRK Consultancy
	The British Council Sudan
	The Crown Agents For Overseas Administrations And Governments Ltd
	The Environment And Development Group
	Triple Line Consulting Ltd
	University College London
	University Of Wolverhampton
	Uganda Telecom Ltd
	Vincent De Boer
	W S Atkins International Ltd
	Wendy Thomson
	Wild Dog Ltd
	Witek Nowosielski
	WSP International Limited

Africa: Politics and Government

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to promote good governance amongst pan-African institutions.

Gillian Merron: The Department for International Development (DFID) is working to support the efforts of pan-African institutions to improve their internal governance and to promote governance on the continent. DFID is providing support to the Pan African Parliament to strengthen its financial and human resource systems, and to the African Union Commission to establish efficient and transparent fund handling processes.
	DFID is working with pan-African institutions to improve governance on the continent in a variety of ways, including provided over £1 million to the African Peer Review Mechanism Secretariat Trust Fund, which supports the running of this important continental governance programme of the African Union. DFID has engaged the Electoral Institute of Southern Africa, a South African-based NGO, to assist the African Union Commission and Pan African Parliament to improve their election monitoring capacity. DFID is also assisting the African Development Bank, through a £1 million programme, to improve the quality of the governance support the bank offers its African member countries.

African Development Bank

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department plans to take in conjunction with the African Development Bank to improve the regional infrastructure in the region in partnership with the Infrastructure Consortium for Africa.

Gillian Merron: In December 2007, The UK Government's Department for International Development contributed £417 million to the African Development Fund of the African Development Bank and became its largest donor. Infrastructure financing is predicted to reach more than $5 billion under African Development Fund 2008-10 and the amount available to be committed to regional projects will increase from 15 per cent. to 17.5 per cent. of total funding.
	In 2007, DFID also doubled its funding to the Infrastructure Consortium for Africa Secretariat hosted at the African Development Bank in 2007, including providing a secondee. DFID is also supporting other initiatives to help the Infrastructure Consortium for Africa be effective, helping leverage increased financing from others. DFID committed £6 million to the Infrastructure Project Preparation Facility hosted at the African Development Bank to help get regional infrastructure in Africa ready for financing. The Infrastructure Consortium for Africa is making good progress. Its annual report for 2007, soon to be published, will show that funding by its members increased by 54 per cent. to $11.9 billion in 2007, up from $7.7 billion in 2006.
	DFID committed £7 million to the EU-Africa Infrastructure Trust Fund in 2007. DFID nominated the African Development Bank to take up its position on the Project Financiers Group of the EU-Africa Infrastructure Trust Fund. This will help with African ownership and improve co-ordination between EU member states and the African Development Bank.

Bangladesh: Storms

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what organisations his Department engaged to disperse relief supplies in Bangladesh after Cyclone Sidr in 2007.

Shahid Malik: UK assistance for relief supplies after Cyclone Sidr was channelled through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to local non-governmental organisations (NGOs). DFID also provided some relief items in kind, from its stocks in Dubai. These items were disbursed by Help Age, CARE Bangladesh, Oxfam, Save the Children, and BRAC (Building Resources Across Communities). Full details of UK support following Cyclone Sidr can be found on the DFID website: www.dfid.gov.uk.

Burma: Storms

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with his ASEAN counterparts on the humanitarian response to the situation in Burma.

Douglas Alexander: Since the outset of the humanitarian crisis in Burma, the UK has engaged in intensive diplomatic exchanges with Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries. In the weeks following the cyclone I have both spoken to and met with ASEAN Secretary General Dr. Surin Pitsuwan several times, and the Foreign Secretary liaised closely with his counterparts in the ASEAN region, speaking with his Malaysian, Thai, Indonesian and Singaporean counterparts. Lord Malloch-Brown and Shahid Malik pressed the need for access during their visit to the region on 17 May 2008. Foreign Minister Meg Munn spoke with her Vietnamese counterpart and has raised the issue with the Governments of Cambodia, Malaysia and the Philippines directly. In addition, all our embassies across South East Asia have been stressing the need for a concerted international humanitarian response to the crisis in their contacts with host Governments.

China: Africa

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how his Department plans to encourage China to support development in Africa.

Gareth Thomas: The huge growth in China's trade and investment in recent years are providing new opportunities for Africa. China is now a major world economic power and a growing and important partner for many African countries. Over the last three years my Department, in partnership especially with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), has been building a strong relationship with China on a range of development issues, including Africa. We believe it is important for China and the UK to work together to support the achievement of the millennium development goals, particularly in Africa.
	The Department for International Development's (DFID) plans include: (i) encouraging China to work with other international development partners and join or endorse international initiatives that improve the effectiveness of international support to Africa; (ii) exchanging knowledge and experience on development assistance so that both sides can improve the quality of their support; (iii) identifying specific areas where we can work together such as in rural roads in the Democratic Republic of Congo; and (iv) exploring how the UK and China can ensure that the outcomes from high level global meetings, such as the UN MDG Call to Action meeting in September, accelerate progress towards the achievement of the MDGs

Departmental Public Participation

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 2 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 657-60W, on departmental public participation, what steps  (a) have been taken and  (b) are planned as a result of each piece of work listed.

Gillian Merron: Information on the past and planned use of each piece of audience research detailed in the previous answer is as follows.
	
		
			  Research work  Steps taken  Steps planned 
			 Solutions Strategy Research (April to June 2007) Analysis used to inform development of communications activity around ethical consumerism activity around ethical consumerism in February 2008. This research provides useful insight into consumers current knowledge and understanding of shopping ethically and how this may have an impact on peoples livelihoods within developing countries. The analysis will continue to inform future communications activity. 
			 Ipsos MORI (March to May 2008) Analysis not yet complete. Analysis will form basis of an audience segmentation model to inform, direct and provide a basis for communications on the work of DFID. This is in line with Government communications best practice. 
			 GfK NOP (March to June 2008) Analysis not yet complete. Trend data will inform, direct and provide a basis for communications on the work of DFID aimed at young people.

Developing Countries: Borders

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what joint working his Department has undertaken with COMESA and USAID to strengthen border controls of developing countries which are vulnerable to petty corruption.

Gareth Thomas: DFID is working through its Regional Trade Facilitation Programme (RTFP) to strengthen border controls by setting up three one stop border posts (OSPBs) between: Zambia and Zimbabwe; Mozambique and South Africa; and Lesotho and South Africa. The RTFP is partnering with the Common Market of Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) to set up these OSBPs.
	The OSBPs will replace border processing facilities (for incoming and outgoing traffic) on either side of two countries with a single border control management system and better scanning facilities. A major benefit is that the multiple bureaucratic requirements that currently provide opportunities for corruption are also reduced.
	USAID, through its Trade Hub in Gabarone (Botswana), is also working to strengthen border controls. Their current focus is on improving the Trans Kalahari (Nambia, Botswana and South Africa) and the Maputo (Mozambique and South Africa) development corridors. DFID does not have a formal collaboration with USAID, but we do regularly exchange information on our trade facilitation activities.

Fair Trade Initiative

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the Answer of 6 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1175W, on the Fair Trade initiative, how much his Department spent on refreshments for official departmental meetings and engagements in each of the last three financial years; and what percentage of this expenditure was on Fair Trade products.

Gareth Thomas: The amounts spent on hospitality for meetings for the last three years are as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2005-06 190,826 
			 2006-07 189,332 
			 2007-08 177,425 
		
	
	Precise figures for the proportion of the above which is fairtrade are not available, but based on value it is estimated that it represents around 35 per cent.

Nepal: Overseas Aid

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department has provided in humanitarian and development aid to the health sector in Nepal in the last 10 years; and what projects have been supported by such funding.

Douglas Alexander: Over the last decade, DFID has provided £64,176,124 to the health sector in Nepal. Of this, £62,076,907 has been provided for development through longer term projects and programmes which support the public sector delivery of services. The remaining £2,099,217 was provided for humanitarian projects which were short term and were mainly delivered by non government providers. The following programmes have been supported:
	
		
			  Name of programme  Duration of programme  Amount spent to date (£) 
			  Ongoing programmes   
			 Nepal Health Sector Programme July 2004 to July 2009 17,284,378 
			 Support to Safe Motherhood Programme December 2004 to December 2009 10,935,165 
			 National HIV/AIDS Programme October 2004 to October 2009 7,620,000 
			
			  Completed projects (i) funded from the bilateral programme   
			 Support to National TB Programme January 2001 to January 2007 5,416,000 
			 Reproductive Health programme April 1997 to April 2006 8,519,411 
			 Nepal Health and Population Development Programme June 1999 to December 2004 316,854 
			 Support to UNICEF Health Project February 2003 to December 2004 200,000 
			 Polio Eradication Programme January 2002 to December 2004 3,063,257 
			 Safe Motherhood Project March 1997 to October 2004 5,356,427 
			 District Health Strengthening Project January 1999 to October 2004 3,365,415 
			
			  Completed projects (ii) funded from Global Conflict prevention programme: humanitarian assistance   
			 Support to Health Services August 2003 to January 2005 114,214 
			 Strengthening Health Services in Conflict Areas August 2002 to November 2004 1,985,003

Pakistan: Overseas Aid

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much has been allocated to national health programmes in Pakistan for reducing child mortality.

Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development (DFID) has provided £83.5 million in support of the national health facility over the last five years (2003-08). The funds have contributed to reducing child mortality by supporting programmes to improve immunisation; nutrition; malaria, TB and HIV/AIDS control; and family planning. In total it is estimated our support has helped prevent the deaths of 200,000 children.
	In addition in 2006 we committed £90 million over five years to Pakistan's National Maternal, and Newborn Health Programme. Not only will this improve maternal health and welfare and prevent maternal deaths, but it is also estimated it will save the lives of 100,000 newborn children.

Sierra Leone: Human Rights

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of progress of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's study on the relationship of social policy issues, gender equality, social inclusion and effectiveness in Sierra Leone.

Gillian Merron: The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's study on the relationship of social policy issues, gender equality, social inclusion and effectiveness in Sierra Leone was undertaken in Sierra Leone during November and December 2007, with the final report being presented in January 2008.
	The Government of Sierra Leone have not undertaken any formal assessment of progress of the study as a whole so far. However, there have been assessments of progress in some specific areas. Of particular note are the campaigns to encourage more women to vote in the up-coming local elections, and to stand as candidates (partly funded by DFID under an umbrella programme Promoting Voice and Transparency on Elections, PIVOT). Although the figures will not be known until after the elections, the number of women candidates standing (16.5 per cent.) is nearly double that of last time (9 per cent.).
	In the five months since the study's launch, the Government agency that has responsibility for the monitoring of the study (the Development Assistance Co-ordination Office, DACO) has been focused on finalising two strategic processes:
	1. Completing the overall Survey of the Paris Declaration (February and March 2008). This is the strategic process which regularly monitors aid effectiveness issues in partner countries.
	2. The production of a new Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper, PRSP, which is the National Development Strategy monitored under Indicator One of the Paris Declaration Survey.

South Asia: HIV Infection

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what organisations his Department is supporting to fight HIV and AIDS infection in the South Asia region; and how much these organisations received in 2007-08.

Douglas Alexander: Within the South Asia region, DFID supported the fight against HIV and AIDS in India, Nepal and Pakistan during 2007-08.
	In India, £21.6 million was provided to the National AIDS Control Organisation, and a further £5.6 million to various organisations including UNAIDS, the BBC World Service Trust, and a range of local NGOs.
	In Nepal, £2.1 million was provided to the National Centre for AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Disease Control, and to a range of local NGOs through UNDP.
	In Pakistan £1.0 million was provided to the National AIDS Control Programme, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and UNAIDS.

UNICEF Go To School Campaign

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what contribution the UK made to the UNICEF Go To School Campaign.

Gareth Thomas: In March 2008 the Department for International Development (DFID) provided £1.2 million to UNICEF Sudan for the "Go to School" programme. DFID is very happy to support this important initiative which has seen a significant increase in school attendance in Southern Sudan since its inception two years ago.

Departmental Contracts

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Newcastle-upon-Tyne Central, of 19 February 2008,  Official Report, column 687W, on departmental contracts, what the purpose of each such project in relation to each firm was.

Phil Hope: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given on 19 February 2008,  Official Report, column 687W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Newcastle upon Tyne Central (Jim Cousins).

Departmental Freedom of Information

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what steps his Department has taken to implement the recommendations of the Information Commissioner's Freedom of Information Good Practice Guidance Note no. 4 on time limits on consideration of the public interest; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Miliband: The Cabinet Office aims to respond to all Freedom of Information requests within 20 working days. In some cases the consideration of the public interest takes longer and in these instances a response is given within such time as is reasonable in the circumstances, as required by the Freedom of information Act.

Departmental Freedom of Information

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what information was requested in the Freedom of Information Act 2000 requests to the Cabinet Office with case references  (a) FS50077719 (received 2 June 2005),  (b) FS50085720 (11 August 2005),  (c) FS50086426 (17 August 2005),  (d) FS50088735, (14 September 2005), (e) FS50088745, (14 September 2005),  (f) FS50089369 (21 September 2005),  (g) FS50090742, (6 October 2005),  (h) FS50091011 (10 October 2005),  (i) FS50097905 (6 December 2005) and  (j) FS50098388 (8 December 2005).

Edward Miliband: The Information Commissioner has issued a Decision Notice for FS50090742: 'the assessment by the Joint Intelligence Committee of Iraq's declaration of its weapons of mass destruction in December 2002'. The Decision Notice is available on the Information Commissioner's website at:
	http://www.ico.gov.uk/upload/documents/decisionnotices/2008/fs50090742.pdf
	and a copy has been placed in the House for the reference of Members.
	Decision notices on the other requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act, 2006, will be published in due course by the Information Commissioner.

Departmental Public Relations

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what  (a) job title,  (b) function and  (c) role Nicola Burdett has in No. 10 Downing street.

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when Nicola Burdett began work at 10 Downing Street; what her job title is; and who her line manager is.

Tom Watson: Nicola Burdett is appointed to No.10 as a special adviser. Special advisers are appointed under the terms and conditions set out in the Model Contract and Code of Conduct for Special Advisers, copies of which are in the Library of the House.

Dorneywood: Official Hospitality

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster which Ministers have used Dorneywood for departmental functions or events since June 2007.

Phil Hope: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given by the Exchequer Secretary (Angela Eagle) to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) on 21 February 2008,  Official Report, column 939W.

Dorneywood: Official Hospitality

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for North East Hertfordshire of 25 January 2007,  Official Report, column 1962W, on Dorneywood, if he will place in the Library the guidance issued to Ministers on the use and availability of Dorneywood for Government meetings and seminars.

Phil Hope: Guidance on the use of official residences is set out in the "Ministerial Code". Dorneywood is held in Trust for use as an official residence, as has been the case under successive administrations. My right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer has the use of Dorneywood as an official residence. The Chancellor and the Trustees have now made Dorneywood available to other Ministers to use for official engagements.

Electoral Register: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what percentage of the qualifying population are registered as electors in  (a) each local authority in the north-west and  (b) Warrington.

Tom Watson: The information falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 19 June 2008:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your questions asking what percentage of the qualifying population are registered as electors in (a) each local authority in the North West and (b) Warrington. (212308).
	Table 1 gives the number of people who are registered to vote in the local/European elections as a percent of the "estimated usually resident population" age 18 and over, for each local authority in the North West (and Warrington), for 2006.
	These percentages provide the closest available approximation to the registration rates that you requested. However they should not be interpreted as the percentage of the eligible population who are registered to vote. Not everyone who is usually resident is entitled to vote, for example foreign citizens from outside of the EU and Commonwealth are not eligible.
	The figures used are for the local/ European electorate because the eligibility criteria are closer to the definition of the usually resident population than those for the parliamentary electorate (EU citizens are included and UK citizens resident abroad are excluded).
	For some areas rates exceed one hundred per cent as figures for the registered electorate may be inflated. People who have more than one address may register in more than one place (e.g. students may register at parental and term-time addresses and electoral registration officers vary in how quickly they remove people from the registers after they have moved away from an area or died).
	The limitations described above affect areas in different ways. This limits comparability of these figures across local authorities.
	The figures provided are for the most recent year that estimates of the usually resident population are available. Electoral statistics for December 2007 are available at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme other/UK_Electoral Statistics_2007.xls
	
		
			  Table 1: The local/European electorate as a percentage of the "estimated usually resident population" aged 18+ for each local authority in the North West and Warrington. 
			  Percentage 
			  Area  Mid-2006( 1,)( )( 2,)( )( 3) 
			  North West 97 
			   
			 Blackburn with Darwen UA 100 
			 Blackpool UA 99 
			 Halton UA 100 
			 Warrington UA 98 
			   
			  Cheshire  
			 Chester 97 
			 Congleton 100 
			 Crewe and Nantwich 97 
			 Ellesmere Port and Neston 99 
			 Macclesfield 102 
			 Vale Royal 99 
			   
			  Cumbria  
			 Allerdale 96 
			 Barrow- in- Furness 93 
			 Carlisle 99 
			 Copeland 99 
			 Eden 99 
			 South Lakeland 97 
			   
			  Greater Manchester (Met. County)  
			 Bolton 100 
			 Bury 98 
			 Manchester 91 
			 Oldham 92 
			 Rochdale 98 
			 Sal ford 94 
			 Stockport 99 
			 Tameside 94 
			 Trafford 95 
			 Wigan 99 
			   
			  Lancashire  
			 Burnley 99 
			 Chorley 98 
			 Fylde 98 
			 Hyndburn 96 
			 Lancaster 92 
			 Pendle 95 
			 Preston 92 
			 Kibble Valley 98 
			 Rossendale 101 
			 South Ribble 100 
			 West Lancashire 101 
			 Wyre 98 
			   
			  Merseyside (Met. County)  
			 Knowsley 95 
			 Liverpool 93 
			 St. Helens 98 
			 Sefton 97 
			 Wirral 99 
			 (1) Figures for the local/European electorate are those registered to vote if an election had been held on 1 December 2006 and refer to a qualifying date of 15 October 2006. (2) The estimated usually resident population are the mid-year population estimates for 30 June 2006 (3) Registration rates exceed 100 per cent. where the registered electorate exceed the estimated population of an area. Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Heads of Government Summit

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the attendees of the Heads of Government summit held on 5 April.

Meg Munn: I have been asked to reply.
	The Heads of Government and international organisations who attended the Progressive Governance Summit on 5 April were:
	The right hon. Gordon Brown—Prime Minister
	His Excellency Kevin Rudd—Prime Minister, Australia
	His Excellency Alfred Gusenbauer—Chancellor, Austria
	Her Excellency Michelle Bachelet—President, Chile
	His Excellency Mr. Dimitris Christofias—President, Cyprus
	His Excellency Mr. John Kufuor—President, Ghana
	His Excellency Romano Prodi—Prime Minister, Italy
	Her Excellency Mrs. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf—President, Liberia
	His Excellency Mr. Gedlminas Kirkilas—Prime Minister, Lithuania
	Her Excellency Helen Clark—Prime Minister, New Zealand
	His Excellency Jens Stoltenberg—Prime Minister, Norway
	His Excellency Mr. Robert Fico—Prime Minister, Slovakia
	His Excellency Mr. Thabo Mbeki—President, South Africa
	The right hon. Peter Mandelson—European Commissioner for Trade
	His Excellency Mr. Javier Solana—EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy
	The hon. Bill Clinton—Clinton Foundation
	Mr. Dominique Strauss-Kahn—International Monetary Fund
	Mr. Antonio Guterres—UN High Commissioner for Refugees
	Mr. Kemal Dervis—UN Development Programme
	Mr. Pascal Lamy—World Trade Organisation
	Dr. Donald Kaberuka—African Development Bank.
	A final comprehensive list of all audience members who attended the summit is not available.

Television

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 20 March 2008,  Official Report, column 1308W, on television, in what room in Downing Street the television purchased was installed.

Phil Hope: The television was installed in Downing street Offices.